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'There wasn't really time to sit back and be angry.' NKY's homeless lose a planned refuge hotel during a pandemic

People experiencing homelessness in Northern Kentucky have been shuffled in and out of COVID-19 housing as officials clashed over where the vulnerable population should be housed during the pandemic.

They won't stay at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center anymore, which opened its doors to dozens of people experiencing homelessness in March. Due to federal guidelines that said hotel rooms would be better for physical distancing, the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky and Welcome House planned to move about 40 the individuals out of the center.

There was an agreement for them to stay at the Springhill Suites hotel in Florence, according to Kim Webb, Executive Director of the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky.

But, that won't happen anymore.

The hotel rescinded the $40,000 to $60,000 housing deal it struck with the advocacy agencies after government officials said the hotel wasn't zoned for transitional housing, according to interviews with the advocacy agencies and Diane Whalen, the Mayor of Florence.

Morgan Koranda, Street Outreach RN for the Welcome House in Covington, Kentucky, talks with a 37-year-old homeless man, Thursday, March 12, 2020 in Goebel Park. He said he'd been living on the streets for about four years. The Welcome House provides housing and other services to the homeless in the area. The homeless population is considered more vulnerable to the coronavirus. (Photo: Liz Dufour/The Enquirer)

Use of a hotel for that purpose raised additional questions and concerns, Whalen told The Enquirer in an email.

She said an "influx of large numbers of people from a different location can potentially further spread the virus." She also worried that people would gather outside of the rooms, conflicting with social distancing guidelines from the state.

She added that the organizations had not communicated what the long-term plan would be for the individuals to comply with the state orders and the Kentucky Department of Public Health guidance.

"There wasn't really time to sit back and be angry ... we just moved on," Webb said.

A spokesperson for Springhill Suites who Webb had been in contact with about the arrangement did not return multiple requests for comment from The Enquirer.

"We have another hotel that welcomed the opportunity to keep their staff employed and the income," Webb said. She declined to share where the hotel is, or which Northern Kentucky city it's in, because she wanted to protect the privacy of the individuals who will be housed there.

An on-site nurse and staff from the shelter and Welcome House of Northern Kentucky will be at the hotel 24-7 where people are being sheltered, Webb said.It could cost up to $80,000 to move people to a hotel.Webb added that they've talked to the Northern Kentucky Health Department about their efforts as well.

Webb said the organizations weren't upset with Springhill Suites and decided "not to get caught up with what was brewing."

Housing homeless in Florence hotels

Whalen and officials from Boone County found out between 80-100 Ohioans and Kentuckians who were experiencing homelessness were housed at local hotels, separate from the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky and Welcome House effort, because people called police to those locations, Whalen said.

She said she does not know if those individuals are still at those hotels.

Overall, Whalen said she wished there had been more communication about the arrangements.

Then, Whalen said the city found out from a "representative of a third party" that a group of individuals from the Northern Kentucky Convention Center were going to stay at Springhill Suites.

"Again, there was no inclusion in the discussion or planning with the City of Florence, Boone County, Boone County Emergency Management or the Northern Kentucky District Health Department," Whalen said.

Florence is Northern Kentucky's second-largest city, home to just over 32,000 people. It was also the second most common Northern Kentucky city where people experiencing homelessness in the region had their last stable home, according to a report from the Northern Kentucky Homelessness Working Group. That group is made up of organizations that provide services to people experiencing homelessness in Northern Kentucky.

"We are in uncharted waters," Whalen said. "This is only one of hundreds of different issues that local, state and national government agencies are dealing with every day that they’ve never dealt with before."

What hotel housing will look like

Hotel rooms offer people sheltering a chance to take showers. The convention center had no showers and Lord's Gym, a fitness center in Covington, was taking small groups to shower, Webb said.

"In a hotel, our clients have access to showers, bathrooms, and laundry," said Danielle Amrine, Welcome House's CEO. "With so many of the businesses closed, our clients can't practice good hygiene or have a place to use the bathroom. The clients become more transient, looking for resources."

Each day, Cornerstone Apostolic Church will provide breakfast. Fair Haven Rescue, a shelter in Covington, and Be Concerned, a Covington food pantry, will provide lunch. PeeWee’s Restaurant will provide hot dinners. Lord’s Gym will be doing regular grocery runs, according to a press release from Welcome House.

Donations are being accepted to cover the costs of the hotel stay, providing meals and the continued support of supply purchases and paying staff, she said.

"We're doing this because it's the right thing to do for the clients and our community," Amrine said.

Housing homeless in Northern Kentucky

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, resources were already sparse for people experiencing homelessness in Northern Kentucky. There are four shelters in Covington and one new shelter in a Florence church that opened its doors on a few bitter nights this winter.

In 2019, the City of Covington drafted an ordinance that would restrict how the shelters in the city could operate. Many changes were made to the ordinance which was signed into law in February.

Covington Mayor Joe Meyer told The Enquirer in a statement that he thought it was "critical" that people experiencing homeless are protected "during times like this" but added that he didn't think the convention center was the best place for a temporary shelter during the public health pandemic.

"Covington believes that relocating the popup shelter to another location gives another area of Northern Kentucky the opportunity to help fulfill this moral obligation.”

Julia is the Northern Kentucky government reporter through the Report For America program. Anonymous donors pledged to cover the local donor portion of her grant-funded position with The Enquirer. If you want to support Julia's work, you can donate to her Report For America positionat this website or email her editor Carl Weiser at cweiser@cincinna.gannett.com to find out how you can help fund her work.

Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at jfair@enquirer.com and follow her on twitter at @JFair_Reports.